Tornadoes rip through Kansas, Oklahoma

A tornado touches down southwest of Wichita near the town of Viola, Kan., on Sunday. The tornado was part of a line of storms that passed through the Central Plains states.

By Jeff Black and Hasani Gittens, NBC News

People in two states were taking shelter amid wailing warning sirens Sunday as tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma as part of an extreme weather system plowing through the nation's midsection.

The system, which stretched from North Texas to Minnesota, also heaved hail -- dime to softball sized -- as well as heavy rainfall.

Residents in downtown Wichita, Kan., were told to seek shelter Sunday afternoon after a tornado was confirmed on the ground – with its presence cloaked by think clouds and heavy rain.